Resolution for Strengthening Our Democracy

Defenders of Democracy, the non-partisan action arm of West Chester’s Unitarian Congregation, prepared this resolution to ask West Chester Borough Council on Tuesday March 19 (meeting starts at 7 p.m., 401 E. Gay St.) to support the basic tenets of the American Anti-Corruption Act:

Resolution for Strengthening Our Democracy

WHEREAS: Borough Council members of West Chester, Pennsylvania, believe there are systemic and structural flaws in our democratic system that prevent the voices of ordinary citizens from being heard and acted upon;

WHEREAS: Lobbying groups and special interests are able to spend millions of dollars on election campaigns, including untraceable “dark money,” which gives them powerful influence over our electoral processes and elected officials;

WHEREAS: Federal and state laws exist that make voting difficult for many citizens; WHEREAS: Voting district boundaries are routinely redrawn by the party in power to increase its advantage in elections;

WHEREAS: The federal Voting Rights Act—designed to protect voting rights in states guilty of past minority discrimination—was severely weakened by a 5-4 vote of the U.S. Supreme Court;

WHEREAS: Existing anti-corruption laws include loopholes that allow lobbyists to skirt the rules—and prosecutors often lack the tools they need to combat corruption;

WHEREAS: Foreign intervention has become a danger to the integrity of our elections;

WHEREAS: Many groups concerned with the integrity of our democracy and electoral processes have offered concrete proposals to combat corruption, protect against foreign interference, and strengthen voting rights and participation, including RepresentUs, March on Harrisburg, The League of Women Voters, and Common Cause, to name a few;

WHEREAS: The American Anti-Corruption Act, proposed by RepresentUS, provides a blueprint for badly needed reforms to strengthen our democracy;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT West Chester Borough Council supports the basic tenets of the American Anti-Corruption Act and urges state and federal lawmakers to act on the following proposals:

• Significant modifications of federal and state campaign finance laws to end secret money and
ensure transparency
• An overhaul of lobbying and ethics laws to stop undue influence of lobbyists and prevent
corruption of elected officials
• Prioritizing intelligence and funding policies to thwart foreign intervention in our elections
• Independent oversight of federal and state redistricting to ensure fair representation for all
• Federal oversight and protection of voting rights to ensure equal access to all